III. NOTE F SOMO S E UNPUBLISHED EECORDE COINAGETH F O SF O S BY .B JAMEW . VI COCHRAS N PATRICK, B.A., LL.B., F.S.A. SOOT. Some unpublished records of the coinages of the reign of James the Sixth stile ar , l e Registeextanth n i t r House consistd e firsth an , t n i , place, of the "Minutes of the Privy Council," extending in almost a complete series from the commencement to the close of the period. A few extracts from thes givee Lindsay ear b s ne " hi Vieth n yf i w o Coinag f Scotland,o e " bue mosth t t importan f theo t m have never hitherto been made accessible to the Scottish numismatist. It will be seen fro e followinmth g descriptions that they supply e nearlth l al y blanks which exist at present in our knowledge of the various series of coin f thio s s reign. Ther s alsi e mosa o t important " e Compth f o t Cunzie" mad y Thomab e s Acheson, extending from April 158o t 2 August 1606d affordinan , g full informatioe e dateth th f o so t s a n various mintage e amountth d san s coined. Severa wardense th f o l ' books and registers of the daily work at the Mint are also preserved ; and one interesting register, of the' mintages from 1588 to 1592 has been dis- covered amongs Society'e MSSe th th t n i . s indebte Librarym a I d dan , to Mr Joseph Anderson for directing my attention to it. Besides the above unpublished Kecords there are several contracts, overtures, reports, and other papers of a miscellaneous nature, all relating to the subject before us. interesf o e b studento y t t ma t f ScottisI so h numismatic poino t t s ou t ON UNPUBLISHED RECORDS OF THE COINAGE OF JAMES VI. 389 more th e important results whic investigation ha above-mentionee th f no d document s affordedr thiha sfo s d purposan , e followinth e g tahled san descriptions are given. Beginning with the Silver Coinages we find that the James Ryall or Sword-Dollar was ordered to be coined by an Act of Privy Council in August 1567. This Act is given by Cardonnel, and is found in the Minutes of the Privy Council in almost identical terms. Lindsay's account of this coinage is full and correct, though some new dates have occurred since his time. We may, therefore, sum up the com- plete history of these pieces as follows, viz.:— The Sword-dollar, originally calle e Jameth d s Eyall issues wa ,n di 1567-68-69-70-71. It was authorised by an Act of Privy Council recorded in August 1567. The value at the time of issue was 30s., t subsequentlthis bu swa f Privo t yyAc raise n 157n a i 36so . dt y 8 b 9d . Council. The weight was one ounce Troy Scottish, or 472-| grains mo- dern Troy, and the fineness 11 deniers, with the usual remedies for weight and fineness. The countermarks which occur were ordered to be put f Privo t yAc Council n on 157a i n y b 8 , when e 30salth l . pieced an s their parts were recalled to the Mint, tested, and reissued with a counter- mark. e nobleth o calleo t come s(s Lindsay) y w W b deno , though they were more commonly known as the Half-merk Pieces. These were authorised to be issued by an Act of Privy Council, dated 12th May 1572. They were coined during the first year at Dalkeith, as appears from a letter preserved in the State Paper Office, addressed by Sir Wm. Drary to Lord Burleigh,1 and according to the author of the "Diurnal of Occurrents" 2 were only 6 denier fine, though it is worthy of remark that no mention of the fineness is made in the Act of the Privy Council, which is most unusual e coinagTh .t Dalkeita e h only occurren e yeari on s a ,r fo d 1573 e Lorn therentrth a ds n ei yi Treasurer' s account f "xiijso . lixs e payi caryinr fo t transportind gan haile th lf go necessari word an s k luniis appartening to the cunzehous fra the castell of Dalkeith to the palice of Halyrudhous." ... n 157 I e standar. th 6 f finenesdo raises wa so dt eight deniers, as appears from a contract entered into between the Regent and Abraham Petersoun, preserve Eegistee th n di r House157n i d t 9i an , was recalle e usuath o dt l standar f 1do 1 Half-noblee denTh . Fortr o , y Penny Piece exactls i , y similar, excep valuen i t . 1 Cal. State Papers, Scotland, vol. i. p. 343. 2 Pp., 297, 298. 0 39 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , DECEMBE , 1873R8 . nexe Th t silver coins mentione e "Vieth dn i w Coinag e ofth Scotlandf eo " arThistle eth e Dollars r moro , e properl e Two-meryth k Piece f 1579o s , accouns hi an n d i f theo t m Lindsay falls into severa firse l errorsth t n I . place, he mistakes the weights used in the Scottish Mint for the modern English Troy standard ; and in the next place, he confuses the coinage of 1581 with that of 1579. We may sum up the correct history of these two-merk pieces as follows, viz.:— Thistle Th e Dollar, more properly knowe Two-merth s na k Pieces wa , first authorised by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland on the 25th of July 1578 y thit fulB sAc l. powePrive gives th wa yo rnt Counci l e typeth x , fi weight o t , purity d valuean , . Accordingly e 18tth h1 01 , September, an Act of Privy Council was passed, ordering a piece of silver coinee finenese b th 1 deniers o 1 t f do f o s o weigt , h 17 denier d 11an s grains Scottis a littl r e(o h ove4 grain34 r s modern Troy)callee b o dt , the Two-merk Piece, and to have course for 26s. 8d. The half was to be in all respects similar, but current for only 13s. 4d. The usual remedies of weigh r fineneso t s were allowed. This coinag furthes ewa r confirmed Parliamenf o t Ac n a t y passeb 1579n di . e merTh k piec exceedingls ei y rare, though thre r fouknowne o e ar r . The dates 1578-1579 occur in the two-merk pieces, and 1579-1580 011 mere th k pieces coinage Th .f 158 eentirelo s 1wa y different presentd an , s seriea s complet itselfn ei t seemI . s tha158f o beginr d t0 o abou en e - th t nin f 1581go n pursuanci , authoritn a f o e y grante Parliamenty db e th , Mint had been let to certain partners on lease. These appear from the f 158o t o hav1t Ac e been Clar f Balbirnieo k , provos f Edinburgo t h • Napier of Wrighthouses, Nicholl Edward, Harry Nlsbet, Richard Aber- cromby, Robert Abercromby, and Thomas Acheson. Their contract was to have lasted for three years; but in 1581 the Act above noticed put an end to the contract, apparently on account of the unprofitable way in which the coinage was carried out. It appears that 211 stone 10 Ib. weight of silver were coined into 16s., 8s., 4s., and 2s. pieces during this year; and orderes broughe wa b t i do t t int Minte orecoineth d an , d int 10se oth . pieces e nexoth f t coinag s unquestionablef i 1582o e t I . , therefore, thae th t coins figure Lindsay'n di s tenth plate, Nos. 206*, 207, 207,* 208, were eth coins minted during this lease of the Mint, and were a series of pieces quite distinct from the two-merk piece and merk piece of 1578-79-80. Thi f Parliamencoinagee so t th bring o Ac t f 1582s e so u Th t .abov e ON UNPUBLISHED KECOEDS OF THE COINAGE OF JAMES VI. 391 noticed orders the coinage of 1581 to be recalled, and coined into 10s. pieces, 1 1ouncee denieth o t . ro fineg Frofoud o t an entrn r;m a n yi the Treasurer's account t i appear, s that Thomas Fouli s orderewa s y b d the kin preparo t g e dier thifo ss coinage fro ma portraie kinth gf o t drawn by Lord Seytoun's painter. An Act of Privy Council later in the same year allow e usuasth l remedie f weigho s d finenessan t , whicd hha been omitted in the Parliamentary Act, and orders the coinage to take place in Archibald Stewart's house in Edinburgh, owing to the ruinous Mine statth f teo beside Holyrood. Marcn I h 158 e Priv2th y Council ordere e coinagdth f 40s.eo , 30s., and 20s. pieces, in addition to the 10s. pieces formerly sanctioned. "We ma histore y th therefor p thesf u y o m ee su piece followss sa , viz.:— The 40s. pieces authorised by the Act of Privy Council above noticed were struck at the Mint at Edinburgh in. 1582, and perhaps later; and 30s.e th , 20s. 10sd ,an . pieces from 1586y 158Ma . o 2t These coins weigh respectivel n ouncya e Scottish, three-quarter ouncen a f so , hal ouncen a f , and a quarter ounce, and were.